


In Our Dreams

by RikuKingdomHearts3



Category: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Dreamsharing, Fluff, M/M, Pre-Canon, Soulmates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-07
Updated: 2021-03-11
Packaged: 2021-03-13 15:48:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,148
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29903412
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RikuKingdomHearts3/pseuds/RikuKingdomHearts3
Summary: In a universe where you share your dreams with your soulmate, Cloud has been trying to remember his when he wakes up. It's always the hardest part of the shared dreams, trying to remember every detail when he awakens. All he wants is to remember something about where his soulmate is and who he is so they can actually meet. Finally one day, he gets his chance.
Relationships: Zack Fair/Cloud Strife
Comments: 12
Kudos: 37





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Came up with a little soulmates idea for Cloud and Zack. It's been a bit since I've written for them, but let's jump back into it!

When Cloud turned thirteen he had begun to have vivid dreams. He would dream of far off lands or sometimes very real places that he knew well. But what stood out most in his dreams was a young boy who accompanied him in all of his dream adventures.

He soon came to learn that this boy, whomever he was, actually was a real person in the waking world. This other boy was his soulmate, the one he was destined to be with one day. He started sharing his dreams with his soulmate at only thirteen years old!

It was a little shocking to hear at first, to know that he was able to share his dreams with his significant other at such a young age. It was almost crazy to believe it, but his mother explained that sometimes it happens. Usually most people started their connective dreams when they were a bit older, but fate sometimes has expectations. Whatever the reason was, Cloud and his soulmate were meant to meet at a younger age.

On top of that, most people still wouldn't meet their soulmates in person until years later. It takes many years before they would ever cross paths or furthermore actually remember them clearly outside of the dreams. It was a little sad at first, knowing that he would dream of this other boy, but forget most things about him when he woke. It was the way of the dreams however, most details forgotten when someone begins to wake.

There were only a few things that stuck with him, and one of them was that his soulmate was a rather cheerful guy. Even if Cloud couldn't remember his face clearly in the morning, he knew that he had a warm and cheerful face.

"When will I get to meet my soulmate?" Cloud asked one day during dinner.

Cloud's mother reached over and placed her hand on top of his. "One day. I can't say when, but there will be a time when the two of you cross paths."

"But I want to meet him now!"

His mother smiled. "I am glad you are excited, Cloud. These things don't work that easily. They take a lot of time."

Cloud sighed, flopping back in his chair. "But I don't wanna keep waiting!"

"That's enough 'buts' from you tonight," his mother laughed. "You just keep enjoying those dreams of yours. When the time is right, you'll know it, and I can't wait to hear about him then."

Cloud thought about what his mom was trying to tell him. He knew that she was right, she was his mother after all and mothers always knew best. So he sat back up straight and smiled at her with the widest smile he could. "Thanks mom!"

That night he fell asleep and when he awoke in the dreamscape he first looked around to take in the view. Tonight's dreamscape seemed to be a vast field that was full of trees and flowers. Currently he was standing on a large hill above the field below him, but it still looked like it was quite the location. It was going to be a great one to run around and play in for sure. Now, there was only one thing left that he had to do, and that was find his soulmate.

Eventually, his soulmate would show up and they would spend their entire dream goofing off and having a great time. It was like this every night, adventures and just a whole lot of playing. It was probably the most fun Cloud ever had in his dreams and he felt the excitement run through his mind and body.

"Hey!" a voice called suddenly.

Cloud turned around to see that a boy around his age was running towards him. He sported spiky black hair, messier than his own, and blue eyes. The two of them ran towards each other until they were wrapped around in each other's arms.

"Hey Spike!" his soulmate cheerfully replied as he squeezed Cloud tightly.

"H-Hey!" Cloud laughed. "Come on! It's not Spike and you know that!"

"Yeah, but we don't remember our names outside of the dream and gotta remember each night. So until then we agreed I'd call you Spike!"

Cloud pushed away from his soulmate, still laughing. "I didn't agree! You just made that up!"

"Guilty as charged! But come on! Let's do introductions again. I'm your one and only soulmate, Zack!"

"And I'm Cloud," Cloud replied once his laughter died down.

Zack reached forward and held on to Cloud again. "I missed you all day! I couldn't wait to see you again! So what should we do today?"

"I thought we would go check out the valley below. Maybe there'll be something cool down there."

"Alright!" Zack shouted as he grabbed Cloud's hand as they headed to the edge of the hill. "Wanna roll down and see who makes it down first?"

"You're on!"

The two boys laid down on the top of the hill, Zack gave a count and then they were off. They started to roll down the hill. It started okay at the start, but soon enough they changed their angle they were rolling and bumped into each other.

They broke into laughter, holding on to each other once more. It was hard to explain at first, but Cloud never felt more comforted than when he was around Zack. It was probably because they were soulmates, they were meant to be together and so they felt so happy around one another. Cloud was sure though, even if they were soulmates, they would still be good friends. Zack was just that type of friendly guy that could make anyone feel happy.

After they finished their rolling, they ran down the hill all the way until they reached the bottom. There they stood before the large open field that had many amazing trees that looked perfect for climbing. All the two of them had to do was look at one another, they grinned with a nod and charged towards the biggest tree that they saw.

They were climbing it as soon as they got there, racing each other up to the top. When they got as high as they could they finally stopped to catch their breaths. Even if it was a dream, it felt so real to them and they needed a moment to relax.

"So Cloud," Zack started as he sat down on one of the branches. "Do you remember anything else outside of the dream yet? Anything we've talked about?"

Cloud shook his head. "No not really… I keep trying though."

"Well good! Cause I got more for you to try on! I got some big news to share!"

"What's that?"

"I've made it into SOLDIER!"

"Wait! You're serious?"

"Yeah! Did you forget I told you I was in tryouts and stuff?"

"I um… kind of? I remember it was important but I couldn't remember what," Cloud replied as he looked down. He felt a little disappointed he couldn't remember something like that. A key element like that was really important if he was going to find Zack one day.

"Well that's okay cause I forgot if I ever told you before," Zack chuckled.

"Zaaaack," Cloud pouted at him. "Come on, I thought you were being serious."

"I am serious though!" Zack replied. "I actually really have made it into SOLDIER. So now we just need you to remember that."

"I'll try! Cause then I can go to Midgar and I can find you!"

"Yeah then we can be together finally!" Zack said as he leaned over to ruffle Cloud's hair.

"Hey quit it!" Cloud laughed as he tried to push Zack's hand away from him.

"No way! You know I'll be doing this all the time once we are together in person!"

"Not if I can help it!" Cloud tried to push him back when the tree started to shake.

The two boys looked and saw that the tree was warping and changing. Deciding it was best to get away from it, the two jumped off and tumbled to the ground. When they got back up, they saw that the tree had changed into a strange looking doorway with the frame woven from tree branches.

"Whoa…" Cloud muttered.

"Whoa is right, but let's go! The dream is just getting started!"

The two ran off together through the strange new doorway that led them off on the craziest dream adventure of the night, All of it was fun and they barely even realized how much time went by before they were starting to wake up. They knew it was happening though, the world around them was fading away and ground white.

"Looks like someone is waking up," Zack replied. "I wonder who'll wake up first."

"Is everything a competition with you?" Cloud snorted.

"With you it is, cause it's fun. But oh! Oh! Don't forget what I said! I'm in SOLDIER and I'm in Midgar! You gotta come and find me!"

"Right! I'll try!"

"You better cause I'm waiting here for you!"

Cloud grinned before the entire dreamscape was white, blinding his vision.

When Cloud opened his eyes again he was in his bed, just starting to wake up. He rubbed his eyes as he let his mind start to clear up and properly get his mind going. Right away he tried to think back on what he had been dreaming. Sadly he had forgotten his soulmate's name already as well as his face, with the exception of that smile. That cheerful and warm smile always stuck with him every time he woke up, and it was honestly nice to have that over nothing.

" _Okay… so what do I remember…"_ Cloud thought as he tried to pull anything else he could out from the dream.

" _I remember we were going through that door… running, climbing… he told me something…"_

Cloud stretched out on his bed as he did what he could to recall the words that had been said to him. His soulmate had told him something important. Something important about where he was so he could find him eventually.

" _He was somewhere. Somewhere important… but where!?"_

Cloud sighed loudly, running his hand over his face. He rolled on to his side, staring at the calendar on his wall. Suddenly, his eyes widened as he looked at the image on the calendar. On the top of the calendar was a picture of men standing proudly with the words SOLDIER and Shinra at the bottom.

"Wait!" Cloud nearly stumbled out of his bed as he ran over to the calendar to stare at it closely.

Cloud felt his heart racing, pounding heavily against his chest. "He's… he's in SOLDIER!"

"Cloud?" his mother called. "Did you say something?"

Cloud ran out of the bedroom, almost tripping down the stairs. He ran into her in the kitchen and hugged her tightly. "Mom! I remembered something!"

"What? Remember what, dear?"

"I remembered something about my soulmate!"

"Oh honey," Cloud's mother replied, patting his head gently. "What did you remember?"

"He's in Midgar! He just made it into SOLDIER!"

His mother's expressions soften. "Oh… I see."

"What's wrong?"

"It's just that SOLDIER can be very dangerous. You'll no doubt want to go, right?"

"He's my soulmate!" Cloud protested. "I've got to go."

"Ah my little Cloud, so strong and brave at such a young age. There's no stopping you, is there?"

"No, I gotta see him! I don't want to have to wait! This is my chance mom, so please? Can I go?"

His mother stared at him, a smile crossing her face. Deep down he knew that his mother trusted him, but they were all they had. It had been just the two of them for years, so sometimes she was a bit over protective towards him. "Okay, I'll let you go. But you better write to me okay? I want to hear all about this boy when you meet him. You got that?"

"Course mom. I'll do that."

After that, Cloud spent the rest of the day filled with excitement. He was going to not only get out to travel to the other side of the world, but he was going to find his soulmate. Nothing could stand in his way, and he was going to find his soulmate as soon as he could.


	2. Chapter 2

Cloud had begun his journey to head to Midgar. It was the place where all young boys went to find work, especially if it was with Shinra. While Cloud had some thoughts and dreams of working there one day, his real incentive was finding his soulmate.

Currently within their dream, they were by a large lake and had decided to go fishing together. It was a nice and peaceful dream this time compared to the last few which were filled with much more action and adventure.

"So, you're really coming all the way out here?" Zack asked.

"Yes, I thought I said that last night? I think? Or did you just forget?"

"Hey! Still can't remember everything yet. Maybe it was you who forgot!"

Cloud shook his head, trying not to laugh. "So I forgot that you didn't remember?"

"Uhh yeah that! Let's go with that!"

Laughing finally, Cloud leaned back against Zack's chest. "So when I get to Shinra, you think we will find each other?"

"Well we gotta! Isn't that the whole point of this?"

"Yeah, but I also got to wait until I'm older before I can try out for SOLDIER. Even then, that will take a while."

"Doesn't mean I can't come and find you sooner," Zack replied as he wrapped his arms around Cloud.

Cloud let himself smile as Zack hugged him. "It would be nice, but we're still kind of young."

"What? Hey, it's not like we're going to be _doing_ anything once we meet. We'll just hangout and have a great time," Zack said, looking at Cloud. "We can figure out that adult lovey dovey stuff later on. Right now all I want to do is hug you in person, in the waking world."

"Me too. So hopefully I'll get there as soon as I can."

* * *

When the morning came, Cloud remembered spending time with his soulmate, but he couldn't recall what was said. He knew whatever they had discussed was just as important as it was nights ago, but for some reason it wasn't sticking. He was certain that he had told his soulmate that he was coming to Midgar, but without being able to remember he had no way of knowing. All he could do was wait for the night to come again so he could talk with him.

But it seems to be harder than he originally thought. Each night he spent with his soulmate, he found out that he was unable to remember the plans they kept trying to make. Even Cloud would forget most of their over all time together by morning and they would have to start all over again.

Frustration followed him day after day, month after month, as he approached Midgar. No matter what, he was going to join the company and join SOLDIER. He would find his soulmate one way or another and he knew deep down that this was a step to get to him. But when he got to the trials for SOLDIER, he was met with a bit more challenge than he realized. There was more than just wanting to be in SOLDIER. He actually had to prove himself, physically and mentally.

Unfortunately the mental part of the test ended up in failure for him. His mind apparently could not handle the mako that SOLDIERs were supposed to get as part of their enhancement. Still, Cloud couldn't just give up that easily. He may not have become a SOLDIER, but he was an Infantryman, and that left him still to work for Shinra. It was still a chance to find his soulmate he had been waiting for.

But that didn't mean the disappointment was gone.

The night after the trail, Cloud cuddled up against Zack in their dreamscape, trying his hardest to hold back his tears. Zack never looked upset at him. He never frowned or scowled. He only smiled and held Cloud in his arms, telling him that it was okay.

"Are you sure, Zack? I mean, I'm just going to be an Infantryman. I'll be no one special."

"And that's where you're wrong. I'll be able to spot you out in a crowd any day. Your hair is a dead giveaway."

"Oh thanks a lot!" Cloud laughed as he pushed away Zack's face.

"Seriously though. Doesn't matter what job you have. We're soulmates and that's more important than being SOLDIER together," Zack said as he wove his fingers through Cloud's hair.

"Okay. That's fair," Cloud said as he sighed, resting more calmly against Zack's chest. "We'll see each other soon. Only a matter of time right?"

"Right! So keep your eyes open!"

* * *

As much as Cloud tried to look for his soulmate, it was proving to be even more difficult than he expected. Even though he was just a simple Infantryman, he still had hours of training every single day. It took time away from his search to find his destined soulmate.

At one point he thought about just asking someone where his soulmate was. Maybe if he just asked, someone could help. The only issue was he still still couldn't remember his soulmate's name and his appearance was still pretty hazy. Cloud had to assume with barely any info, he wouldn't be able to get anywhere.

His soulmate wasn't having the easiest time either. He hadn't come looking for him like Cloud had hoped. With knowing his soulmate was actually in SOLDIER, he probably had much more training and work than he was. Still, even if they weren't running into one another, they had every night together. Each night they grew happier knowing that sooner or later they were going to cross paths.

It was only a matter of time.

That matter of time would be at any time, and yet still not any time soon. Months passed as he went through his training regiment. He barely ever got to go anywhere outside of training, other than food. Recreational fun wasn't part of the training, and he wouldn't get a leisure break until he had finished the entire thing.

One day he was in the cafe, in line for his food when he heard someone loudly talking across the cafeteria. Whomever they were had a very loud and energetic voice, but he couldn't make it out too well over the rest of the chatter.

Though, the more he heard it, the more familiar it sounded. Once he had his food, he started to look around, trying to locate the source of the voice. Something was pulling him, something in his heart was telling him to move. He needed to follow that voice, he had to find him.

Moving quickly through the tables, he found his way to where the person was. He saw that they were a 3rd class SOLDIER and were chatting loudly amongst some other SOLDIERs in his rank. All of them were wearing their helmets except for the loud guy, who sported rather messy black hair. The guy was currently getting up from the table when he noticed Cloud standing there.

"Huh? Can I help you?" The young guy asked him.

"Uh I, I'm…" Cloud said, fumbling over what to say. He never felt so nervous before, yet before this young guy, his heart was racing.

"Hey no need to be nervous, we're all friends here," the guy said with a friendly smile.

"Yeah I know. It's just… you seem, I mean I heard your voice. From across the room. "You sound familiar," Cloud admitted softly.

The SOLDIER tilted his head slightly. "Uh I guess you too? I can't really place it though…"

"Come on," one of the other SOLDIERs gave him a friendly shove. "We gotta head back up to the SOLDIER floor."

"Ah right. Well see you later, little guy. Good luck with your training!" the guy said as he waved before heading out of the cafeteria.

Cloud waved in return, though he felt his heart sink a little once the guy had left the room. For the remainder of the day he was left with an empty feeling in his gut. It was something he couldn't explain, no matter how many times he tried to wrap his head around it.

" _Was it because of the guy? But who even was he? He felt… familiar."_ In the back of Cloud's mind, something was tugging. Something was pulling and poking him, trying to bring forth whatever the answer was. Thoughts trailed all around, but nothing ever formed together.

_"Maybe I'll get to see him later. Then I'll ask him."_

* * *

That night in the dreamscape, Cloud wandered around until he found his soulmate, walking through a pleasant seaside city. It took a bit of wandering until he finally was able to locate his soulmate, due to the large space of the city, but since it was their dreamscape there weren't any other people to crowd their view.

As soon as his eyes locked onto him, he felt like his heart was in this throat. The familiar black hair that spiked out in various directions, the kind and generous smile. All of that was extremely familiar and everything was clicked into place finally.

"Oh my god!" Cloud exclaimed. "You… we were just… at the cafeteria."

"That _was_ you?! I thought I was dreaming! You and me, we're… we were!"

"I know!" Cloud interrupted. "We were right there!"

"We need to wake up and find each other now!" his soulmate exclaimed loudly.

"Can we even do that?"

"I dunno. But we need to try! Just wake up!"

The world around them flashed brightly and Cloud had to shield his eyes. When he opened them again, he was back in his room at Shira. The sheer thought of waking up from the both of them really must have worked. His heart was already racing, pounding loudly against his chest as he jumped to his feet.

He honestly had no idea where he was even going. All he knew was that he was running down the halls of the Shira HQ at night, trying to find his soulmate. Somewhere in this very building, perhaps on this very floor, he was there.

Though the biggest issue remained; he still had not retained memory of his soulmate's name. If he had remembered the name, maybe then he could at least give a shout. On the other hand, it was the middle of the night, surely no one would want him shouting at the top of his lungs, even if it was for the sake of finding his soulmate.

"Spike!"

Freezing up, Cloud feeling an unexplainable sensation flow through his body. It was mixed together with that endless rapid beating of his heart. So many mixed emotions swirled and twisted in his mind. His soulmate. His special person who he was destined to be with, he was standing at the end of the hallway.

Nearly tripping over his feet, Cloud ran right into his soulmates arms. They were strong and warm, and the best part; they were real. He sighed happily as he let his soulmate embrace him, hugging him back with the same amount of energy.

"See? What did I tell you? Saying 'Spike' came in handy!"

Cloud laughed. "Yeah yeah. I still never agreed to it."

"Buuuuuuut?"

"But it did help in the end," Cloud admitted.

Pulling back from the hug, Cloud saw how brightly his soulmate was smiling. "Okay, let's do this introduction one last time, but this time for real."

"Sounds good. I'm Cloud."

"And I'm Zack."

Zack immediately brought Cloud back into another crushing hug, swinging him around as he nearly stumbled down the hallway. "We're here," he whispered. "We've found each other. Finally we can be together and go on adventures, and be the coolest guys at Shinra!"

"Yeah, totally the coolest," Cloud replied as he rested his head against Zack's chest.

Cloud knew that his life really was starting to turn around. Things already had changed from the moment he met Zack in his dreams, but now this was the real world. No longer did they have to worry about forgetting each other's names or the experiences they had together. Now they could spend the days together, when they weren't working, and finally enjoy savoring the memories.

Cloud knew that there would be many great memories to come. So many great moments he was ready to share with Zack. As of that very moment, as he stayed in Zack's warm arms, he knew his future was bright.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And then they lived happily ever after and nothing bad ever happened to them! The End!! 
> 
> But seriously, thank you all for reading! Hope you enjoyed! Maybe I will write more dreamscape soulmate AUs in the future. Who knows!


End file.
